Case 12-1182: PTSD
DecisionVeterans-appeals decision document (court public records) · · Unknown
Conditions Claimed
PTSDPsychiatricBackKneeHeartGIEye
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
2026 base rates, all ratings (veteran alone)
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
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Issues on Appeal
PTSDPsychiatricBackKneeHeartGIEye
Why It Was Decided This Way
DeFlanders (“DeFlanders”) appeals from the decisions of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (“Veterans Court”) affirming the deci- sions of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (“the Board”): (i) finding that DeFlanders had not submitted new and material evidence sufficient to reopen claims for service- connected disability compensation for a left knee disabil- ity and spots on the lungs; (ii) denying compensation for spots on the brain; and (iii) denying a disability rating in excess of 10% for non-cardiac chest pain.
In 2006, following various challenges to the Board resulting in numerous remands to the Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) Regional Office (“RO”) and subsequent determinations, the Board denied service-connected disability compensa- tion for most of those claims, including the claims for a knee disability, lung spots, PTSD, and substance abuse.
The RO notified DeFlanders that his old claims could not be reopened without new and material evidence and advised him regarding the information that would be required to substantiate his new claims.
The RO subsequently determined that DeFlanders had failed to submit new and material evidence sufficient to warrant reopening his claims relating to the knee disability and lung spots and also denied his claims relating to brain spots, substance abuse or drug addiction, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and the higher rating for non-cardiac chest pain.
The Board denied DeFlanders’s other claims, including service connection for brain spots, the request to reopen his claims for lung spots and knee disability, and the request to increase his rating for non-cardiac chest pain above 10%.
The Board’s decision did not address the claim for substance abuse or drug addiction because DeFlanders did not DEFLANDERS v.
Third, the court held that the Board’s denials of DeFlan- ders’ requests to reopen his claims for a knee disability and lung spots were not clearly erroneous and were supported by adequate reasons and bases.
The court applied established law to the facts to determine that the Board’s decision that DeFlanders had not pre- sented new and material evidence to warrant reopening of DEFLANDERS v.
Authorities Cited
Regulations Cited (38 CFR / 38 USC)
Denial Type
Not New Material|Duty To Assist
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